Kevin McRoberts

Following the international success of ‘Goldberg Variations – ternary patterns for insomnia’, Scottish Ensemble and Andersson Dance will present the world premiere of their second music-and-dance collaboration in Glasgow this November.

Fusing music and movement, musician and dancer, ‘Prelude – skydiving from a dream’ explores the very human paradox at the root of three extraordinary pieces of music: our need to seek out order amongst disorder, and our urge to tear it all apart.

Blending dynamic, inquisitive, contemporary choreography with razor-sharp live musical performance, Prelude is centred around the full performance of Beethoven’s notorious Grosse Fugue – a piece that has been both celebrated and derided, lauded and dismissed.

The production will also include a selection of extracts from Bach’s The Art of Fugue and Lutosławski’s Preludes and Fugues for 13 Solo Strings.

One of the most distinctive elements of Prelude will be its approach to musicians and dancers sharing the stage.

Guided by choreographer Örjan Andersson, musicians and dancers become equal partners on stage, blurring their roles and breaking the rules and expectations that can often apply to classical music performance.

Scottish Ensemble’s second collaboration with the Swedish contemporary dance company follows the success of their first, ‘Goldberg Variations – ternary patterns for insomnia’.

Jonathan Morton, artistic director and leader of Scottish Ensemble said: “Working with Örjan on Goldberg was an incredibly intense and rewarding experience for all of us, so it felt entirely natural to explore what another collaboration might look like.

“We wanted to build on the physicality of the musicians and push it further, whilst musically I was keen to bring together different voices.”

Örjan added: “Whilst we were on tour with our first collaboration, Jonathan and I got talking about form in music and dance – or, more specifically, the similarities between the two. In Goldberg, we experimented with this idea of the performers blurring their roles. With this second piece, we want to challenge them to perform in a way they’ve never done before. I’m very much looking forward to breaking new artistic ground with these amazing artists.”

‘Prelude – skydiving from a dream’ is at Tramway, Glasgow, on Friday, November 9, and Saturday, November 10. For tickets, see the Tramway website